News

The Litter Lab

Scientific Sue, with the help of some junior scientists, helped to uncover the science behind litter. Pupils were keen to engage in the scientific experiments and explore the impact that litter has on our community and the world around us. Prior to the show, pupils had to carry out a litter survey of our school grounds as well as a pupil attitude survey. Did you know that:

the Belfast City council spends £12.8 million on keeping Belfast clean and tidy?

Synthetic chewing gum is made from a rubbery material called polyisobutylene which is also used in the manufacture of the inner tubes of bicycle tyres?

Plastic bottles can take up to 450 years to break down?

An apple core or a banana peel takes around one month to decompose?

By 2050 there will be more plastic in the world’s oceans than fish?

What was very apparent is that littering definitely costs – whether it is the cleaning-up costs, the fines faced by those who break the law by littering or the detrimental effects that littering has on our wildlife and the environment. Remember the only cure for litter is you!